fischer



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

A. FISCHER.

GAR BRAKE.

No. 540,829. Patented June 11,1895.

' (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

A. FISCHER.

, GAR BRAKE. No. 540,829. Patented June 11, 1895.

NORRIS Prrzns co.. morduma, WASHINGYON, o. c,

UNITED STATES PATENT @rrrcn.

AUGUST FISCHER, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO JOHANN G. EGGERS, OESAME PLACE.

CAR-BRAKE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 540,829, dated June 1 1, 1895.

Application filed February 26,1 8 9 5.

To all whomt't may concern.-

Be it known that I, AUGUST FISCHER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Car-Brakes, of which the following is a specification.

The object of my invention is to provide an improved construction of brake-mechanism operative by wedging thebrakes against the wheels of a car.

My invention consists in the general construction of. my improved brake-mechanism; and it also consists in details of construction and combinations of parts, all as hereinafter described and pointed out in the claims.

- Referring to the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a bottom plan view of a car provided with my improved brake mechanism; Fig. 2, a section taken at the line 2 on Fig. 1 and viewed in the direction of the arrow, and Fig. 3 a section taken at the line 3 on Fig. 1 and viewed in the direction of the arrow.

A and A denote the two pairs of wheels of a car (streetcar) shown as journaled to rotate on stationary axles B secured to the bottom 0 of the car and projecting through the carfloor on which they are covered by caps t".

D and D are yoke-shaped brake-beams, each loosely supported in guide-clips q, q and (1 depending from the bottom of the car to engage the beams at their centers and toward their extremities, at which they carry brakeshoes D coincident with the treads of the carwheels, the backs of the yoke-shaped brake ends of eachpair of said extensions is shown in the form of an outwardly tapering socket The beams E and E are loosely supported at their extensions on guide-clips 0 depending from the bottom'of the car, near their ends on the yokes n depending from the car-bottom, and across their opposing back-portions m by Serial No. 539,773. (ll o model.)

a yoke-bar m fastened to the bottom of the car to extend transversely across itv at its center; and near the junction of each beam with its right-angle extension, and adjacent to theinner face of each wheel, the beam carries a brake-shoe E.

turningof one to turn both, the formerbearing on its oppositeends againstthe opposing backs of the brake-beams D .and D, and the latter bearing at its opposite ends against the opposing backs of the side brake-beamsE and E.

.As will be seen, by turning the bar G on its pivot in one direction it becomes wedged between the opposing backs of the beams D and D and forces them apart to apply the brake-shoes D with great pressure against the wheel-treads; andas the bar H turns with the bar G, it'becomes wedged between the opposing backs of the brake-beams E and E, forcing them apart to apply the brake-shoes E to the inner sides of the wheels.

As the means for operating the brake-mechanism, I show a brake-rod I pivotally connected with the bar H to one side of its center and extending thence toward one end of the car, and a brake-rod I pivotally connected with the same bar H to the opposite side of its center and extending thence toward the opposite end of the car.

At its outer end each brake-rod is connected with the lower end of an operating lever K fulcrumed on the carfloor and carrying a spring-dog device Z to engage a segmental rack Z for holding the operating lever in any position to which it is thrown. Where the brakerods pass through the spaces p between the extremities of the brakebeam extensions, they are provided with outwardly tapering or wedge-shaped heads hand h which, when the brake-rods are forced outward by operating either lever K, are wedged between the adjacent ends of the beam-extensions to supplement the action of the wedge-bar G in torcing the beams E and E to apply the brakeshoes E ICO \Vhile I have shown and described brake rods and levers as the means for setting and releasing the brakes, other means may be em; ployed without departure from myinvention,

the essential feature of which consists in providing either or both of the wedge-bars G and H, or equivalent devices, adapted by turning, to engage and release brakeshoe carrying brake-beams to force the brake-shoes against and release them from the wheels. I do not therefore limit my improvement to the exact mechanism shown and described, as it may be variously modified without departure from my invention.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In combination with a car, brake-mechanism having the yoke-shaped brakebeams carrying brake-shoes adjacent to the inner surfaces of the car-wheels, a rotary wed ge-bar extending between said brake-beams, and means for turnii'g said bar to wedge it be: tween said brake-beams, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. In combination with a car, brake-mech anism having the yoke-shaped brake-beams E and E carrying brake-shoes and provided with the extensions E and E affording spaces p between their extremities, a rotary wedge bar I-I extending between said brake-beams, brake-rods I and I connected with said Wedgebar near its opposite ends and having wedgeshaped heads h and h at said spaces 11, and means for actuating the brake-rods, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

3. In combination with a car, brake-mecl1- .anism comprising the pairs of brake-beams D, D. and E, E carrying brake-shoes to engage the car- Wheels respectively at their treads andinner surfaces, rotary connected wedge-bars Gand II extending, respectively, between the beams D, D and the beams E, E,

, and means for turning said bars to wedge them between their respective brake-beams, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

4. In combination with a car, brake-mechanism comprising the pairs of yoke-shaped brake-beams D, D'and E, E, carrying brakeshoes to engage the car-wheels respectively at their treads and inner surfaces, wedge-bars G and II connected to turn together on a common pivot-pin F and extending, respectively, between the beams D, D' and the beams E, E,extensionslfl and E of the beams E, E,

forming between theirextretnities the spaces 19, brake-rodsjland I, connected with the bar H near its opposite ends and provided withwedge-shaped'heads hand 71 where they pass through said spaces, and means for actuating the brake-rods, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

AUGUST FISCHER.

In presence ofi J. I1. LEE,

M. J. FRosT. 

